


Stranger in a Strange Land

by DragonDagger



Category: Naruto
Genre: Friendship/Love, Gen, Language Barrier, Multiverse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2006-12-15
Updated: 2007-02-07
Packaged: 2018-02-12 23:37:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 23,569
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2128734
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DragonDagger/pseuds/DragonDagger
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Close to death a woman is found in the desert near Suna. This is the story of what happens next and how one person can almost literally change the world.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. 1

They were running as fast as was possible for ninja's of their level to run.  They had been told that several miles out into the sinking sands area of the desert something had come.  Powerful in its own right but ultimately something that was not a threat to them.  So they had been told by the Kazekage to retrieve whatever it was.  
  
Several miles away from the running duo a young woman cloaked in a thick black cloak that covered bright blue and green robes was moving the best she could with a small belt pack she had created out of the lower hem of the outer robe she had been wearing.  No water, no food, only a couple candles, matches, and a small variety of incence that had dropped with her into this strange land.  She was grateful for the small blessing that her cloak had a full hood, giving her a brief respite from the deadly sun above her.  Yet still she was losing water out of her body quickly and she knew that if she wanted to survive into the evening, she had to find water.  Staying where she was was not an option, so she had picked a direction and started walking, not knowing that it would bring her closer to her rescuers.  
  
Soon, the ninja pair were well within range of being able to detect what it was that had disturbed their leader.  What they could not sense was its power, but they, like most people that lived in that country could read the environment and what it told them was whatever was there was not native to their lands.  It was this fact that made the decision for them that they should hurry.  They had been moving since morning trying to pinpoint where this power was, and now that they had the range of it, they could now find it that much easier.  
  
The sun had beaten her to a fine pulped state.  Without water to help her keep going, Hoshiwara had finally reached the end of her endurance.  Her head pounded from the dehydration and her body kept giving out on her at regular intervals.  Now, she had fallen for the last time.  She didn't have the strength or focus to be able to get back up, her only saving grace, or curse depending on how she was thinking at the moment was that when she had fallen, it was face down so her cloak covered her from most of the sun's harsh rays.  
  
Temari and Kankurou soon spotted what had disturbed the sands.  At first it looked to be a black pool in the bright reflective sands.  However as they closed in on it, they realized that it was a cloak, and it was covering a human body.  Temari abandoned all sense of restraint as she dashed to the body, hoping that if it was a friend that it was still alive, and if it was an enemy, she'd be grateful that the desert had taken care of it for them.  
  
Turning the body over, she learned from the groan of pain that it was alive, and as the hood fell back that the owner of the cloak was female.  This was the power that they had been sent out to retrieve?  "Kankurou, she's still alive, but barely.  We need to get her tended to before we take her back to the village."  
  
The young man carefully stepped over to see the young woman that had dropped in on them and was surprised to see that she was not as sunburned as he thought someone unaccustomed to the desert would be after spending this much time out on the sands.  Instead she was only a light pink, but also flushed from dehydration and heat stroke.  Quickly he pulled a water canteen out and a cloth and started in on the basic first aid all Sand ninja knew for caring for those out in the heat.  
  
Temari had also started first aid, quietly and carefully drizzling water into the girl's mouth while her brother blotted her skin in the shade of Temari's now fully extended fan.  Both were worried that the woman wouldn't make it until they heard a very soft groan of pain from her.  Barely audible over the winds that were now starting to signal the onslaught of a sand storm.  
  
Picking the woman up, Kankurou waited for Temari to finish picking up her equipment and both of them took off at their best pace, being careful not to jar the woman as they made the bee line for the desert village that was their home.  They had just barely made it into the village, the great doors slamming shut behind them to block out the greater portions of the sand storm that was now picking up intensity.  Kankurou handed his burden off to Temari and the siblings split.  One to the hospital to get the woman treated for the heat she had suffered and the other to the Kazekage's office to report what they had found and the end results.  
  
It was three days later when the nursing staff of the hospital noticed a change in their mystery patient.  Relief was the primary emotion around the place as it meant that not only would the patient survive, but she'd also be able to give their now highly irritable Kazekage answers as to how she got here in the first place.  The woman was wakening and as her eyes opened blearily, she looked around the room she was in, she hoped to find something that would tell her where she was.  But all she could see were fuzzy shapes against a light background.  
  
Bringing her hand up to rub at her eyes she noticed that there was something that pulled against the back of her hand as she tried to close her hand to knuckle the crud out of her eyes.  More cautious than was her normal want, she brought up her other hand to try and figure out what it was that was preventing her from fisting her right hand.  To her surprise she felt wide strip of adhesive as well as a bit of tubing that seemed to flow into her hand.  _'An IV?  What the hell happened to me?'_  
  
"You are awake now?"  A baritone male voice spoke from another part of the room.  Hoshiwara had absolutely no idea what he had said, but heard the lilt at the end that she normally associated with a question.  
  
:Who's there?: She asked, looking around again, cursing her blurred vision for impairing her ability to see who it was that was in the room with her.  
  
A sigh was the responce to her question.  She had an idea now that if she could not understand the person in the room, he could not understand her as well.  Her dark blue eyes darted around the room until a hand touched the back of her right hand, showing her that the large dark blur on that side of the bed was a person.  Looking over towards the person she carefully brought her left hand up to rub at her eyes a little, noticing that her hand felt like sand paper to her eyelids, she eased up the pressure, opting instead to try and gently brush the crud out to clear up her vision.  It worked to a degree, and she could see that the person next to her wore a strange outfit and dark purple face paint.  Curiosity warred with fear as she wondered if he was there to hurt her or if he was there to help.  
  
Kankurou read the fear and curiosity in the woman's eyes and raised his hands carefully in what he hoped was a gesture that would ease the fear that was now tightening up the woman's muscles.  He had to find out something, anything about her so that the Kazekage wouldn't go into a meeting with her blind.  Keeping his eyes on her, he brought one hand to his chest and spoke carefully.  "Kankurou"  
  
The woman looked at him strangely as he made the motions and then spoke only one word.  Understanding lit her face as she looked him in the eye and brought her own hand to her chest in a mimic of the gesture and said one word, something he was hoping was her name.  :Hoshiwara:  
  
Kankurou smiled slightly, at least they had understood each other to this point.  Hopefully they would be able to build on this so that the inevitable question and answer session that was coming up tomorrow would be easier on both sides.  He watched her again as she brought her unbound hand up to gesture the room, her eyes following her hand as if to ask where she was. :Where am I?:  The question followed the action, and a repeat of the action followed the question to emphasize it.  
  
Kankurou was stuck now.  How could he make her understand that she was in a hospital and had been very sick for the last three days since they had found her out on the sands?  Looking down at her hand he had a minor inspiration that he hoped would work.  Guiding her eyes down to the IV line in her hand, he then directed her gaze along the line until she saw the pouch that had been steadily replenishing the lost fluids in her body.  "You are in a hospital."  
  
Hoshiwara followed his gestures, and as he spoke she took note of the sterility of the room, and the divider curtain that split the room in half now that her vision was clearing up some more.  :A Hospital.:  She nodded slightly trying to get across that she understood to a greater or lesser degree where she was.  This language barrier was going to be a pain.  
  
Kankurou noted that she was starting to calm down again, apparently content with what she had found out.  But he also noted that she was struggling to move, to sit up.  He knew that the doctor wouldn't be happy with her moving this soon, but he figured that her sitting up would probably help her to clear her head and see what was going on about her.  He grabbed a couple pillows from the storage cabinet in the room and propped then up to help balance her as she sat, then helped her to sit up and back up to the pillows that were now stacked behind her.  
  
Once she was sitting, he noticed the braid that her hair was in to keep it out of the way reached down to the bed and pooled a little.  He also noticed that the woman now looked more composed now that she was sitting up and could see what was going on.  Standing he noted that she had startled slightly but her eyes had a look that spoke that she wasn't a complete stranger to violence.  Instead of agitating her he smiled again.  "Hoshiwara, I have to speak with the doctor, I will be back."  
  
They both knew that she could not understand what he had just said.  But the tone he had put his words into and the slight emphasis on her name seemed to reassure her that she was not going to be harmed.  His hand gestures seemed to indicate that he would return in a short time and so she nodded with a slight smile, one liberally laced with gratitude.  
  
As Kankurou stepped out of the room he saw that his sister was already talking with the doctor that had been assigned to care for the woman.  He could only assume that she had been outside the door ready to switch watch with him when Hoshiwara woke up and had instead let him initiate contact while she went to inform the doctor about the most recent developement.  Stepping up to the two he nodded.  "Well talking to her is going to be interesting, she doesn't speak a word of our language."  He opened with before continuing.  "Its going to take time and effort to understand each other, but I don't think that she'll hurt anyone.  I was able to get her name, it's Hoshiwara."  The name was oddly accented, proving that he had been listening closely to her when she had said it to ensure that he was repeating it correctly.  
  
Temari nodded, hopefully they would be able to teach each other enough of their respective languages to make communicating easier.  Thinking about it she came up with an idea and gesture for her brother and the doctor to come closer.  "I think it would be best if we started exchanging information.  Starting with breaking down this language barrier.  It might be difficult, but I think that if we start with some picture books or something like that, we'll be able to use the pictures to start on the communication."  
  
Temari's idea was sound and the doctor had no reason to deny the activity since it was not physically strenuous.  That and getting this woman to learn their language or vise versa would help the doctors in the long run in treating her now and in the future.  "You may also want to bring Lord Gaara in on these little exchanges of information." The doctor also suggested.  "That way he won't have to have a translator when he decides to question her about her origins."  Temari nodded, glancing at Kankurou she noticed that he was ready to take on another shift and so with a slight wave she left to gather their brother and a large stack of picture books.  
  
Over the next few weeks Hoshiwara was released from the hospital, but was carefully watched by several of the Suna ninja.  Gaara had laid out specific instructions that if she were to come to harm while in their care, heads would roll, and the village had no reason to not believe that threat.  It is said that with the lack of age, comes the greater ability to learn languages.  This was also proven to be true when Gaara proved to be the most adept at learning the woman's native language.  However it was proving difficult to get abstract ideas across, so questioning each other yet about things like where she had come from couldn't be done.  
  
What surprised everyone was while most people in and around Suna feared or respected the Kazekage, the woman treated him as an equal and refused to allow herself to be treated as a subordinate.  Most chalked this up to the fact that she did not know his past, others thought she was just as peculiar and dangerous as the Kazekage, despite the fact that she had never raised her hand to anyone.  There was just something about her that commanded the respect of the people around her, benign in nature, but ultimately dangerous if crossed.  
  
Gaara could respect that.  In fact it make him more at ease around the woman that she had this ability.  However when the two were in public it was business as usual, no one but the strange woman knew that the Kazekage was actually in a state of 100% respect for the woman that walked beside him as he guarded her on her daily walk through the Suna market.  He did not have to do this and could have assigned any number of ninja to guard her.  But he was trying to learn about her culture, her language.  So he would go with her in the mornings before his work as the leader of the ninja in this country caught up with him and tied him down to the office.  
  
Gaara knew that this girl understood far more than she let on.  She seemed to hold secrets that only she understood and it was part of the mistique that shrouded her.  However her command of their language was improving and while she still needed to hunt for the right words fairly often to keep from making a mistake, she showed herself to be quite intelligent and wise.  
  
He knew that her conversations with himself and his siblings ranged over a variety of topics.  Politics, tactics, peace time events and most recently she was starting to settle into the Suna way of life and was now becoming curious about the countries surrounding them.  It had been more than six months since she had come to Suna, and she was quickly becoming a fixture in everyone's daily lives.  Children liked her because she'd play childish games with them.  Older children who were in the schools and just past graduation would go to her for advice on relationships, or for encouragement when they were having a moment of identity crisis.  Adults too went to her to talk and visit, or to gain some of her strange insight into the problems in their lives.  Hoshiwara seemed to have a knack of being able to get anyone to open up to her.  
  
It was about a week later that Gaara called her up to his office.  Escorted by Temari and Kankurou she found that the guards that had bothered her before remained on their best behavior with those two around.  Her hood was up on her cloak so she was able to smirk slightly and not be seen.  It seemed to her that her problems with the single men of the village had not gone unremarked.  Entering the room, she smiled at the two that had given her escort and thanked them before closing the door behind her to keep the conversation private.  
  
"Suna will be having guests from another of the hidden villages in a few days."  Gaara opened up as she pulled the hood of her cloak back.    
  
He had noticed that she never went outside without it on and in the past when he had asked her about it he wasn't too surprised with her answer.  "I, get sun sick easily and after my last trip to the hospital, I do not care to repeat it."  
  
To his surprise today she seemed a little nervous about the idea of other ninjas in the village.  He could understand that.  Suna was a private and hard to get to place if you did not know what you were doing, and she seemed to take comfort in the fact that there weren't a lot of people that she wasn't familiar with around.  His only thought on that was that she would make a good shinobi with her observational skills alone.  
  
"Who are they?  Why are they coming here?"  From what she could gather, Suna did not host many ninja from outside the sand clans.  Instead they usually went outside of the village to meet when it was required.  
  
"There is a small group coming from Konoha.  Nothing that is a threat to you but I did put together a little information so you would at least know who to expect.  For no other reason than you will be hosting a couple of them in your home while the group is here."  Gaara was watching her carefully now.  This was a rather large order to put on the woman, and he knew that at some points she would need a translator because she defaulted to her home language when the stress became too much for her to handle.  However the housing barracks for guests had not been rebuilt since the Ichibi that had been sealed within him last got out of control.  The only problem with providing for a translator was that while people around the village were slowly picking up her language, only he, and his two siblings knew the language with enough fluency to make a proper translation without insulting anyone.  
  
"You want me to, what?"  Hoshiwara's eyes got large as she heard that she would be hosting complete strangers in her home in less than a week.  
  
"From what I understand, you would make an ideal host.  You are currently living alone and without any official duties to the village or myself.  The house that you had been given was the only one we had to suit you, but it has more than enough space to host two people without any worry of overcrowding."  He was very carefully sticking to solid logic knowing that eventually she would see the logic of his decision and agree without having to force the decision.  The last time he had forced a decision on her, she had made his life a living nightmare, taking his instructions literally or only doing what was asked and not a bit more.  It was another reason he had come to respect her.  She was extremely intelligent.  She wouldn't directly disobey a decision made by him in the capacity of Kazekage, but she was quite aware that orders were a double edged sword and could be used to make the person giving them wish they hadn't thought to come to her in the first place.  It was then that he saw that she was coming to the decision on her own that he dropped the final, and most telling argument.  
  
"You will not be the only one hosting people from this group.  I would house them in a more communal lodging but our host center was destroyed the last time the Ichibi took control and I haven't had the time to oversee the building of a new one."  
  



	2. 2

Hoshiwara blinked.  It wasn't often that Gaara would talk about the activities of the demon that he was housing and for some reason the Tanuki would not come out around her.  "Let me see what you have."  Her voice was resigned to it, but Gaara knew that she wouldn't really do anything about it.  He would just have to watch her carefully while the Konoha delegation was here to make sure she didn't insult them.  
  
He handed her the file of all of the ninja coming to the meeting and as she quickly flipped through the list and the brief stats of each she quickly made her choice.  "I will house Hinata and Neiji.  The fact that they are cousins in a high ranked house should keep them in line in my home."  
  
This was something else that was starting to worry Gaara.  She was starting to get jittery around the men of the village.  She wouldn't say anything for the sake of keeping the peace, but he could tell that someone or something was bothering her when he, Temari, or Kankurou were not around.  He was tempted to spy on her to see what it was that was causing her nerves but knew that if her own variant of the sixth sense alerted her to his watch he would very shortly be in hot water that he wouldn't be able to swim in.  Seeing that she was waiting for his approval or denial he nodded his head.  "That will be acceptable.  I have no doubt that you will want to go home and prepare for your house guests, so I won't take up any more of your time.  If you need anything you know who to talk to."  
  
A sigh was the only response he got to that and knew that as she pulled her hood back up she would be planning ahead to have nothing but the best for her guests.  That he was certain of considering how he and his siblings were treated when they came to visit for dinner or a break.  
  
Two days passed quickly for Hoshiwara and she was just finishing the last touches on the second guest room as a messenger came to inform her that it was time for her to head for the Kazekage's office to meet the Konoha group.  Grabbing her cloak she double checked herself in the mirror to find that nothing was out of place since she had her hair pulled back in a tight french braid.    
  
Since she had moved into her living quarters, she had found someone in the city that could sew and after showing the woman one of the two robes she came to this area in she now had several versions of those robes.  Some flowing and loose, others fitting close like an overdress.  All of them had the sigil of the Suna village somewhere on them, usually at a point on her left shoulder or at the collar.  It was an elaborate bit of stitching that despite the fact that she really didn't want it, she could not object since it would help her to be identified should she ever have to leave the village.  
  
Walking quickly to the tower in the center of the village she did not see anyone that she knew while on her way.  Walking right up to the door, it was opened for her as the guards knew who she was and why she was there that day.  'Idiots' She muttered in her mind.  She had seen the look that the left standing guard had given her.  She had walked to the tower with the left side of her cloak carefully folded back to display her shoulder badge, she was a well built woman and it had garnered the attention of several of the Kazekage's guards since she had been to the tower on a near daily basis since she was released from the hospital.  
  
Stepping quickly she nearly ran up the stairs to the main office only pausing a moment to catch her breath before rapping softly on the door.  When she heard Gaara call for her to enter she did so, leaving her hood covering most of her face and her left shoulder badge showing.  :These are our guests Gaara?:  She asked, slipping back into her native language, startling the assembled group that wore the forehead protectors that identified them as Konoha Ninja from the Village Hidden in the Leaves.  
  
Temari, Kankurou and Gaara all nodded, not surprised that she had addressed the Kazekage with such familiarity.  However this had caught the blond ninja that sported bright orange clothing off guard and he launched immediately on to his own questions.  "What?!  You mean that we're going to be hosted by someone that doesn't even speak our language?"  
  
Both Hinata and Neiji noticed that the woman had stiffened slightly at the question and could tell that she had been offended by its tone.  Neiji switched to a defensive frame of mind, wondering if they were about to get into a fight thanks to what Naruto had just said.  However they were all interrupted by Sakura who smacked the blond upside the head.  "Don't be an idiot.  If she is our host then there is a good chance that she understands us and can speak the language."  
  
Hoshiwara's posture now expressed surprise at the dynamics of this group before her and then taking a moment to calm herself and gather her skills she began again with a slight bow.  "Welcome to Suna.  My name is Hoshiwara, I will be the host for the ninja Hinata and Neiji."  The accent was heavy but the words were crisp and well spoken despite the pauses in her greeting.  
  
The cousins stepped forward and bowed in return, Neiji took the lead now and continued the introductions.  "I am Neiji, this is my cousin Hinata.  Those behind us are Kakashi, Naruto and Sakura."  The named ninjas each nodded or bowed to her as they were pointed out.  "Thank you for your hospitality Hoshiwara."  
  
Comfortable that this was the group that she was supposed to meet she pulled back the hood on her cloak allowing the new group to see her face.  Now that her own vision was no longer partially blocked she carefully looked the group over.  "You are probably tired from your travels."  At this she turned to Gaara and continued, "Gaara, it would be best to adjourn for now to let the travelers clean up and relax some.  You, Temari, Kankurou and the rest of our guests are welcome to my house this evening for dinner, if that suits you?"  
  
To the surprise of those that did not know the woman or her relationship with the three siblings in the room he nodded.  "We will be over in a few hours."  
  
Hoshiwara smiled and then looked over at Hinata and Neiji.  "Please come with me.  I'm sure that you both would enjoy the chance to relax for a short time."  She pulled her hood back up and turned to the door to leave, seemingly uncaring as to whether or not the two followed her or not.  
  
The two however followed quickly knowing that this could be an educational experience for them both.  Hinata was tired from the day's heat and the run across the sands.  Neiji while not as tired as his cousin, was still feeling the effects of the sun's heat and easily agreed that refreshing themselves before dinner would not be a bad idea.  
  
From that point the other siblings split up the group farther, Sakura and Naruto going with Kankurou and Kakashi going with Gaara.  Temari did not take any guests as she had already worked out with Gaara and Hoshiwara that she would keep herself available in case the woman got into a situation where she needed a translator.  
  
The only reason the meeting was taking place here was that it was time to renegotiate the terms of the alliance between the two villages.  Normally this would have been done between the two village leaders, however this time the Hokage of Konoha thought that she could trust the negotiations to the hands of the people that had helped to forge and shape the alliance into what it was now.  Not to mention it would allow for old friends to talk and catch up on the news of each other.  
  
Dinner that evening was a busy affair.  Gaara could tell the moment he set foot into the house that she had been planning for this dinner ever since she got word that she would be hosting two of the group.  The house was redolent with the smells of breads, meats and other unidentifiable smells that were quickly making him start to salivate.  Tonight they would all be eating like royalty if what he was smelling was any indication.  
  
When the group finally was assembled in the living room of her home, Hoshiwara came out and called them all to the dining room.  As they all entered they were each amazed in their own ways as to the decorating.  There were candles everywhere casting their soft lights over the room with two large oil lamps, one at each end of the long dining table, providing the better part of the light to see by.  The low table had many cushions around it to ensure that everyone was comfortable and down the center of the table was a veritable feast for the eyes and stomach.  Game birds, roast meats, vegetables, noodles, soups, sauces, and salads graced the table in a riot of color and smells.  
  
As they all picked their places to sit, Hoshiwara graced them each with a smile and got one in return.  Even Gaara wasn't exempt from the return smile.  This was far above and beyond anything he had expected from the woman.  He knew that she was an excellent cook in her own right thanks to the many times he and his brother and sister had been over to this place to eat in the evenings.  But she had outdone herself with this.  
  
Clapping her hands twice to gain everyone's attention she started out in her own language, the siblings translating in their minds before she switched languages to say everything again.  "Brought here this day are guests to some, friends to others.  Peace upon you as you stay with us, and may love and laughter follow you when you leave."  This small blessing given she started serving and passing around the various dishes that had taken the better part of the last two days to make.  
  
Several hours later, as the group was lounging in the living room, stuffed with good food and good drink they were all talking quietly in friendly conversation.  At least it was quiet and friendly until Naruto voiced his opinion of the dinner.  Those that knew the blond ninja saw the opinion coming miles away, but the one person in the room that didn't quickly started turning shades of red that the elder ninja or the leaders didn't even know existed.  
  
:You.  You!  You arrogant little know it all.  Telling me that my food is almost as good as Ramen?!  Just who the hell do you think you are you little straw haired swine?  You demolished most of the food on the table with your appetite alone.  I can't believe that you would be so heathen as to insult my cooking that way.  Are you twice stupid or did you have to work at being such an arrogant prick?!  Get out of my home you little ogre!:  By the time she had hit the end of her rant she was screaming less than two inches away from the blond ninja's face with both hands wrapped around his neck as she had cornered him on the couch he was on.  
  
Naruto had no clue what she was saying and neither did any of the other Konoha ninja.  But the three others that did know what what going on were all in shock.  Temari had warned her brothers that there was a good chance that she had a dangerous temper, it was just a case of figuring out what would set her off.  Now they were all wishing they hadn't.  Hoshiwara did not understand what Chakra was in this world, but she was glowing with an unleashed power that wrapped around her like a large flame.  
  
A squeak from the young ninja who was now turning an interesting shade of blue snapped the three out of their shock and into action.  Gaara used the sands in his gourd to loosen the woman's grip on Naruto's throat and once the grip was broken Kankurou grabbed the blond ninja and they both shot out the door like the devil himself was after them.  Things did not start calming down in the least until Temari stepped into her range of vision and caught her attention.  :Hoshiwara, calm down will you?  He did not mean to insult your cooking, and now that he is gone back to the house he's supposed to be sleeping in, its time you calmed down.:  She tapped a finger meaningfully against the outer shell of her fan.  
  
The air was tense, the Konoha ninja that were still there uncertain if they would be the next target of this mad woman and the Suna ninja uncertain if they would need to subdue her.  But as Hoshiwara moved, it was to bring her hands to her sides.  Her eyes closed and and her posture tensed even farther for a few moments before she took a deep breath and slowly released it.  As her eyes opened again, the flames that had almost literally been dancing in them were gone.  In their place was a deep regret.  Her posture changed and seemed to collapse in on itself as she looked over at Gaara who still had her held captive by his sands.  :Thank you.  Please let me go.:  
  
Holding her a moment longer he noticed that she wasn't moving against anyone else, and it seemed that all of the energy that she had been burning with a moment with had evaporated with the loss of her anger.  Instead of simply letting her go, he had the sands seat her in her chair before withdrawing.    
  



	3. 3

Neiji was in shock.  Nothing about her had even hinted that she was capable of taking them all off their guards with that much power.  And he was shocked again when she seemed to collapse in on herself in regret and sorrow.  Who was this woman?  
  
Hinata was concerned.  Both for Naruto and this woman that had just surprised them all.  She could see that her reaction to Naruto's comment had even shocked the Suna natives.  Meaning they hadn't known about this facet of the woman's personality.  There wasn't much she could do, but she could see that the woman was shaking and got up to quietly make tea in the kitchen.  
  
Sakura and Kakashi looked at each other, eyes wide.  They had thought this woman wasn't a ninja, but she had moved faster than either of the two of them could follow when she erupted into the rage that had nearly choked the life out of their friend.  Their silent conference was interrupted by the now extremely quiet voice of their hostess.  "I am sorry.  I make no excuses for my behavior tonight.  Please forgive me."  
  
Gaara had no idea what the Konoha ninja would say, but he already knew what he would be saying.  "You have been under a lot of stress these last two days Hoshiwara.  Granted, erupting like that was probably not in your best interests, I don't blame you for losing your cool for the first time since you first came to this village."  
  
Hearing this, Kakashi looked up at the village leader, curiosity rampant in his visible facial features.  This was indeed something new.  The entire tableau was broken however when Hinata returned to the living room.  "I'm sorry for invading your kitchen, but you looked like you could use something to drink."  
  
Everyone turned to look at the woman who had not moved even when Hinata spoke.  Temari took the cup of tea from the young medic in training and ignoring the flinch from the older woman who had taught her quite a bit, she took Hoshiwara's hand and deposited the cup into it.  Automatically the fingers closed around it to keep it from falling and once the scent of the tea reached her they could all see her visibly start to relax before taking a sip.  
  
The taste of the tea surprised her.  It was a cross blend of lemon and mint, and it was an herbal tea.  Hinata had to have seen her collection and known which one to use in her situation.  Looking up at the young woman finally she let the corners of her lips quirk up slightly.  "Thank you."  
  
Hinata continued to pour for everyone and as they all relaxed to the taste of the herbal blend Neiji was the one to finally speak up.  "It's been a long day for everyone and I believe that it would be for the best if we were to all get some rest before the official meeting tomorrow."  
  
"A good idea.  We'll show ourselves out Hoshiwara.  You just finish relaxing and I'll come back in the morning to check on you and make sure everyone gets to the meeting hall."  Temari squeezed the woman's shoulder lightly, knowing that she was in no condition to finish out her duties as a hostess that night.  If Temari didn't know any better, she'd swear right there in front of her brother that the woman had just come in off the desert again.  
  
Everyone except Hyugas left the house after that.  Hoshiwara was still trapped halfway in her mind with the guilt over what she had almost done.  If the people she trusted hadn't been there to help defuse the situation, blood would have spilt and someone would have died that night.  This was a nightmare.  
  
Neiji and Hinata both knew where their rooms were and took the time to go and changes and get ready for the night.  By the time they were done and back in the living room, Hoshiwara was also changed and wrapped in what looked to be a very cozy robe.  She looked up at the two house guests and gave them both a shy smile.  "Again, I'm terribly sorry for my display of temper earlier.  Gaara was right about one thing.  I have been under a tremendous amount of stress these last couple days.  Temari is also right about something.  We all need some rest.  Good night.  I will wake you in the morning in time to get ready for your council meeting."  
  
Leaving the two to look at her back in curiosity she turned to her room and closed the door behind her before she broke down any farther than she already did in front of them.  She had started crying into her pillow to muffle the sounds of her sobs.  But apparently she had still been heard.  A quiet shadow detached itself from the wall and walked over to her bed before carefully sitting on it, trying to keep from startling the woman.  
  
She startled anyway, but before she could say or do anything a familiar hand came down on hers to help steady her.  "Kankurou, what are you doing here?  I thought you were looking after the blond idiot?"  
  
The taller ninja chuckled quietly before answering.  "Naruto will be fine.  He's sleeping and by morning he'll have more than likely taken care of any problems he may have had with you.  Right now however Temari, Gaara and I are worried about you.  What made you lose your cool like that?"  
  
Hoshiwara blushed scarlet at the reminder of what she had almost done before realizing that while the question was serious, it was also a distraction so that she wouldn't notice that he had move himself up so he could lean against the headboard of the bed with her in his lap so she could lean against him.  'Same old Kankurou.  How many times have you done this for me now?'  She wondered silently before answering out loud.  
  
"Gaara was right about me being under a lot of stress.  But its not from having to prepare for the guests."  Kankurou raised an unseen eyebrow at this, but stayed silent knowing that conversations like this were never smooth for her as she was still picking up the more advanced points of their language.  
  
"I miss my home Kankurou.  When no one from outside the village was here I could pretend that this was my home in the summer months.  But people coming into the village only serves to remind me that this isn't where I came from, and that there isn't a place for me anywhere."  Sniffling, Hoshiwara felt the tears in her eyes overflow their boundaries again as she was speaking.  
  
Kankurou on the other hand was stunned.  How could this woman say that there wasn't a place for her here, or anywhere else?  Beautiful, intelligent, wise, funny, she had captured the hearts of many of the people in the village and even if they didn't care for her much she had the respect of everyone.  She had a place here, she had even cracked the hard shell around his little brother, and that was no small task.  But how could he tell her that she had a place here?  That this village would feel the loss of her presence if she were to leave.  
  
Giving her a brotherly squeeze to get her attention he started slowly.  "You have a place here.  You carved it out yourself from the day you came into this village half dead from the desert.  If the people here don't love you, then at the very least they respect you.  Is that really so bad a thing?"  
  
The head below his chin shook in denial before answering.  "My home isn't even on this world.  I have an idea as to how I got here, but I know for certain that unless a freak accident or a miracle were to occur, I won't be able to go home.  My family, and friends are all back there, probably wondering if I am even alive anymore."  
  
Kankurou could see what was bothering her now.  She was homesick and what made it worse was the knowing that she would probably never see home again.  "You have a home here.  You have friends that you can lean on with me, Temari, and Gaara.  I know its not the home you're used to, but I know that the three of us would rather go on solo missions than to see you get hurt.  The kids in this village love you and the older kids and adults have come to care for you as well.  No one may ever say it, but you are special to them."  
  
Hoshiwara looked at him wide eyed.  This was almost too fantastic to believe.  She could however see that he was quite serious about what he had just told her due to the fact that he was still watching her carefully in the low light of the room.  She had been given much to think about, but the puppet master had achieved his primary goal, and that was to help her to calm down for the night.  It wasn't the first time any of them had been watching her and had to take steps to comfort the woman.  However tonight was the first time that she had opened up this far to any of them.  There was hope for her yet.  
  
"Gaara, Temari and I have all noticed that you have been a little tense around his office lately.  Is there something wrong that you can tell us about?  Did we do anything that has you upset?"  Normally Kankurou was not this solicitous of anyone's well-being.  But then again this was a drastically different case than anyone in the village was used to dealing with.  
  
Hoshiwara again shook her head.  It felt good to get all of this off her chest and she was so tired of dealing with it alone.  "You three haven't done anything wrong.  You've all been the best friends I could have asked for in these circumstances.  It's just that some of the guards have taken notice of me and despite the fact that I have told them that I do not care for their attentions, some of them aren't giving up.  Almost like they think they are the gods' gift to women or something."  
  
Kankurou chuckled at the last description of some of the guards in the tower.  Temari had said the same thing about them before Gaara gave her permission to teach them a lesson to get them to leave her alone.  They were all good ninja.  Some of the best in the village.  But that also went and extended to the size of their egos as well.  Looks like he needed to have a talk with Gaara and Temari about taking them down a peg or three so that other guests would not have the same problems.  "I'll talk to Temari about that problem in the morning.  That is one stress you just don't need right now."  He agreed on that point and started to tuck the woman into bed as if she were a little sister to him.  "Right now you need the sleep.  You going to be ok now?"  
  
Hoshiwara nodded sleepily as she allowed herself to be tucked in.  It wasn't the first time any of the siblings had done that for her, and she returned the favor on some nights when the others were up late with troubles.  Tomorrow was going to be a long day.  Knowing this she closed her eyes and silently wished Kankurou a good night before letting her exhaustion take her off to the realm of sleep.  
  
The next day as everyone woke up, the Hyuga cousins found that they were treated to a breakfast spread that very nearly rivaled the meal they had the night before in taste and presentation.  While they were eating two of the tower guards came to get the three of them for the meeting.  One was to take the Hyugas to the meeting room, the other was assigned to take Hoshiwara to another meeting that she had been invited to.  One that involved the Kazekage and his two siblings.  
  
Rapping on the door She was admitted into the room that was more commonly known as the office of the Kazekage.  Looking at the three siblings she pulled her hood back after the door was closed behind her.  "You three have a meeting you should be heading to, why am I here?"  She opened with.  
  
The three were used to her blunt manner of speaking, knowing that it was a cultural holdover from wherever it was that she had come from.  Gaara had also figured out long ago that it was her way of showing her respect for the people she was talking to.  That she trusted them, so she could speak her mind.  "Kankurou told us about what you had told him last night about the guards in this tower.  You had mentioned that you didn't care for their attentions and I'm surprised that you hadn't done something about it on your own earlier."  
  
Hoshiwara raised an eyebrow at the implied question and shook her head.  "Gaara-dono," Gaara internally winced at this.  She almost never used her land's title suffixes unless she was maintaining her temper.  "They are fully trained ninja.  All ranks aside, even the young graduates of the academy could slaughter me in sparring without breaking a sweat.  Just how do you propose that I do something about them without enlisting the aid of other ninja?"  
  
Kankurou and Temari were starting to see where this was going and nodded quietly.  She was irritated that she was unable to defend herself from the advances of some of the shinobi in the tower.  Granted if she was given time, she could make their lives a living hell in her own skills.  But stopping them when they were giving her the attentions immediately was not something she was able to do.  Looking at their younger brother they could see understanding on his face as well.  There was something else there, something they couldn't put a name to, but they could feel the threat level of the room rise with its inauguration.  "What were they doing to you?"  
  
Hoshiwara could see that she had gotten his attention.  "Some of them tried to use genjutsu on me,"  There was a snort of amusement in the pause and her lips twitched upwards knowing what amused them.  Due to her grounding and her own abilities she was immune to all but the very strongest genjutsu techniques.  "Others tried ninjutsu and kenjutsu to restrain me and make me listen to them.  They were 'hoping' to convince me of their worthiness."  
  
A low growl rumbled through the room causing Temari, Kankurou and Hoshiwara to look at Gaara.  The dark circles around his eyes seemed to be enhanced as they felt the wave of threat roll off him.  Kankurou and Temari were backing away as they recognized the signs of the Ichibi becoming dangerously close to breaking free again.  Hoshiwara on the other hand smirked.  "Awww, is Tanuki-kun worried about my safety?  I'm touched!"  
  
Gaara's eyes narrowed as both he and the spirit heard this.  However the demon spirit won out again and answered.  "Worried about you?  No.  However it’s clear that you deserve better than those idiots.  Anyone that feels they have to use their training against a civilian to "win" them is no better than some of the ninja in the bingo book."  
  
Hoshiwara looked at Gaara wide eyed, shocked that the demon that she had thought to have feared her instead, respected her and felt her worth more than what the guards could provide to her.  Blushing, she smiled and relaxed.  "Thank you Tanuki-kun.  but if you would let Gaara have control of his body back I'd like to hear what he has to say about this matter, considering he is the one that I need to deal with on this issue."  
  
She could almost see the outline of the Tanuki behind Gaara giving her a put out look before retreating to wherever it was that he hid within Gaara.  Once the Kazekage had gathered himself together again he looked at the woman across from him the wonder he felt at her abilities to talk down the demon within him not passing the mask he wore.  "I will deal with the guards.  Its clear now that Temari's lesson wasn't enough to teach them that they should stick to their duties and only those when they are on the clock."  
  
With that he stood and with a minor readjustment to his clothing he gathered the other three in his sands and then with a flash of seals he transported them all to the meeting site.  
  



	4. 4

They had startled the Konoha ninja with their sudden entrance, but as everyone began to settle it was clear that Gaara wasn't in any mood to entertain questions about it.  This however didn't suppress Naruto.  "Why are you late Gaara?  Didn't think you'd be one that would be late to your own meetings."  The tone was teasing and the smile insolent, but everyone ignored the how and instead focused on the what of what was said.  
  
"I had a discipline issue come up that had to be taken care of."  The slightly mocking twitch of his lips told the visiting ninjas that it was better if they didn't press the issue.  "Now that we are all here, shall we start on the treaty?"  
  
Everyone noticed when Hoshiwara stepped back from the meeting table and finding a corner that had an unobstructed view of the table she sat and with a specific fold of her hands she sat and began meditating.  Neiji saw that her chakra activity shot through the roof as she started meditating and could only wonder what she was doing that would cause this effect with her.  
  
Hinata also noticed this, but she also noticed that the depth of her chakra and its pattern changed as she occasionally changed her hand position throughout the meeting.  The patterns and positions were not familiar to her or any of the other visiting ninja so she could only wondering what she was doing that affected this meeting so much.  
  
Suddenly in the middle of the meeting, Temari noticed that the woman's eyes had snapped open and she looked like she was carefully listening for something.  A subtle nudge to her youngest brother brought his attention to her even as he continued to work through the latest point of the treaty that had become a sticking point.  He was not surprised however that she stood up and after walking around the room once, seemingly in a trance, that she went and stood at his shoulder before whispering in his ear that there was something in the meeting hall that wasn't supposed to be there.  
  
A subtle nod later he gathered her in his sands and with a slight variation of the hand signs he used earlier, transported her to her home before standing.  "We will need to postpone the rest of this meeting for a bit."  
  
At that moment the meeting hall exploded outwards in a massive ball of flame.  Those that were guarding the hall from the outside were blown to safety, and were forced to watched as the building was incinerated within moments.  It took the better part of an hour and some of the village's best earth and water jutsu specialists to put out the flames.  But when it was done and over with, the remains of the eight ninja that had been meeting were found only as groups of bones.  The rest of their bodies as ash.  
  
The moment Hoshiwara appeared in her house she grabbed her staff and ran out the door towards the meeting hall.  She could see the smoke and flames from her place and had no problems weaving through the ninjas that were en route to the area to help out.  "Hurry!  The Kazekage is in there!"  Her shout rallied those already there to action as they tried to put the fire out.  
  
When she was brought to the center of the area and saw the piles of bones she dropped to her knees with a cry of anger and despair.  Those that had been around her knew that this would not be taken lightly and pulled her away from the bones.  As she was pulled away from the piles of bones that were the remnants of her friends and allies she growled just loud enough for those around her to hear her.  "They'll pay.  Whoever did this will pay a thousand fold for this.  I swear it."  
  
The anger she projected cause all but the jounin around her to back away, uncertain of which direction her newly unleashed anger would take.  The Jounin around her had previous orders from the Kazekage himself that no matter what happened, she was to be protected.  Looking to each other they nodded and using their jutsus they took her up to the tower where she could be most effectively protected until this was resolved.  
  
When Hoshiwara looked around and saw the main office of the tower appear about her, she moved to the desk and placing her hand on the upper drawer watched as what Gaara had told her came to pass.  It opened automatically and revealed a single scroll.  She could barely read the language, but she knew what the scroll contained.  Directions for the village should something happen to him.  She had been told that normally if the Kage of a village was lost in battle or to disaster, the village elders would then take over the administrative portion of running the village.  But something had happened to the elders not all that long ago and the village would be without leadership.  Or it would have been had Gaara not thought ahead and written up this scroll.  
  
Looking at the three jounin that were in the room with her she bolstered her confidence and spoke clearly, choosing her words carefully as she did.  "I need a full report of who was involved in that explosion and who did not survive other than our friends and leaders.  I also need someone to send the fastest messenger shinobi we have to Konoha to bring the Hokage here.  And for the love of everything you hold dear to yourselves NO ONE outside the village is to know what happened until I tell the Hokage myself.  Is this clear?"  
  
The three jounin looked at her as if she had lost her mind.  "What gives you the right to order us about like soldiers?"  The first challenge to her authority came and with her current ire Hoshiwara nearly incinerated the man with her look alone.  
  
"This is what gives me that right."  She broke the seal on the scroll and showed them its contents.  As their eyes widened she smirked slightly.  "You have seen my authorization to take over leadership of this village until a new Kazekage is appointed.  MOVE!"  
  
There was no hesitation after the final order to move out as all three used their jutsu to disappear to carry out her orders.  Sitting at the desk alone finally she allowed herself the luxury of tears.  Had she been thinking she would have checked for watchers about her, but as she didn't she was watched as she cried for the loss of her friends.  
  
The next morning found the woman at the desk still.  This time puzzling out some of the more recent scrolls and papers that needed to be taken care of before everything else went to hell in a hand basket.  She was interrupted mid morning by a sharp rapping on the door to the office.  Startled she called out.  "Enter."  
  
The person who entered was the last person she expected to see this soon after the events of the previous afternoon.  "Greetings Hokage-dono.  Please, have a seat we have a lot to talk about and very little time to do it in."  Her brisk manner put the older woman off her balance even though she too had used these very tones with her subordinates.  
  
"Who are you?  And where is the Kazekage?"  Golden eyes narrowed in suspicion.  
  
"Please, sit down, have some tea.  Something, anything, just don't look at me like that.  I have enough to deal with right now and you are obviously going to make my job that much harder."  The reply came, couched in tones that covered her anger and anxiety.  
  
The blond woman sat down, curious now as to who this woman was that sat in the Kazekage's seat when Gaara was alive and well the last time she had spoken with him.  Since tea was offered she took some of that as well, hoping to calm the woman in front of her, down enough to speak of why she had been summoned to the desert village.  
  
Hoshiwara carefully watched the older woman, and finally satisfied with what she saw she folded her hands in front of her on the desk and started.  "My name is Hoshiwara.  Almost eight months ago I was found out in the sinking sands area of the desert that surrounds this village.  When I awoke in the hospital I found that I did not speak the language here, and the people here did not understand mine.  So began a careful alliance of sorts that quickly turned to friendship between myself and the people that had rescued me from the burning sands."  Ending her introduction to who she was she moved on.  
  
"Several days ago I was informed that I would be the host house to two ninja from the village of Konoha.  Having read the information I was given on this group that was coming, I chose to house the Hyuga clan members.  Yesterday morning and into the afternoon was when your ninja and the ninja of Suna met to discuss the peace alliance that had been developed between your groups."  Hoshiwara stopped, puzzlement in her eyes and deep sadness as she tried desperately to find the words in this language to describe what happened the day before.  
  
"Yesterday afternoon, I felt something not quite right in the meeting hall.  I had alerted the Kazekage about it and he immediately used a transport technique to move me away from the building.  In fact he sent me back to my home nearly on the other side of the village from the meeting hall.  It couldn't have been long after that when an explosion consumed the building with fire.  All five of the Konoha delegation as well as the Kazekage and his siblings were devoured by the flames."  At several points during this part of the explanation, Hoshiwara's voice caught in her throat.  Tears again flooding her eyes as she thought about the fire, and the people that had been lost in it.  
  
Tsunade sat before her in shock.  Five of the best that the Leaf ninja clans had to offer gone in a blaze of fire, if what this woman said was to be believed.  "How do I know that you aren't lying to me?"  
  
Hoshiwara looked as if she had been slapped.  The look of shock was very quickly replace with one of anger as she replied with heat.  "Would I be sitting at this desk if what I said wasn't the truth?  This whole village lost its leader and his siblings in one shot.  There is NO one else here is qualified to take the leadership of this village.  I'm only sitting here due to a scroll that the Kazekage left, instructing the ninja of this village to follow my direction should a time come when they were left without a leader."  
  
Tsunade was taken back by the heat in the woman's voice, but recognized that she was both coming out of the shock of the day before as well as she was responding to an equal about a matter of honor.  "I'm sorry, but I can't just accept that I lost five of the best and brightest ninja that Konoha had to offer in less than an hour.  But it is true.  You are sitting in a place that no one else should be in and due to a will and testament that the Kazekage left."  Tsunade sighed.  "Were there any remains at all?"  
  
At this Hoshiwara stood.  "Please come with me to the hospital.  I will take you to them myself."  Walking out of the office, she only paused long enough for the medical ninja to follow before closing and locking the office door.  It was a long and silent walk as Hoshiwara found that the Hokage had not come alone, but had the presence of another ninja with her.  There wasn't much to identify the bones with, but the residual chakra in them matched the signatures of the eight that had been lost in the fire.  This was confirmed by the Hokage as she looked at them closely.  
  
"I am sorry for your loss Hokage-dono."  She again used the title to emphasize her filial respect for the other leader.  "I know you want to know who did this, but that hasn't been determined yet.  Until this investigation has been completed I must ask you to return to Konoha, and to keep quiet about the deaths of this group."  
  
She could see the fire of denial in the other woman's eyes and to back up her request she provided the reason why.  "I know about the history of Konoha.  The Kazekage told me about Orochimaru's attack on your village and what kind of damage it did to your strength.  If you can be silent about your losses until we know who did it, you will have that much less to worry about from the other nations that you are not allied with."  Pausing a moment to gauge the situation she put a hand on the other woman's shoulder.  "Please have faith in Suna.  We will find out who did this and as soon as I know that, I will tell you.  I will not deny you or your village the revenge they rightly deserve for this tragedy."  
  
This seemed to mollify the older woman and as she turned to leave she spoke.  "I too am sorry for your losses.  I will be silent about this for a short time.  But I will not be able to keep this secret for long.  If I have to let out that we lost these ninja to an attack on your village, I will let you know, and you will need to expect that the friends of these five will come to help with the investigation."  
  
Hoshiwara closed her eyes and sighed.  "I shan't be surprised then.  But for now go home, have faith in me and these people, and tell your own that you were summoned because there was a point in the alliance treaty that could not be set down without your approval.  Does this meet with your approval?"  
  
The older leader looked down at the younger and could see that even behind the tears in her eyes there was a wall of ice that was locking her spirit into place.  This would be a hard woman to break and it spoke volumes about how she could be trusted.  "It does.  Remember, you and the rest of the Suna ninja do not have a lot of time.  Be quick and may luck be with you."  Hoshiwara bowed slightly as she turned to leave the room.  She had an investigation to run and little time to get the pieces together.  
  



	5. 5

Inside a small house near the center of town another meeting was taking place.  This one between several ninja.  "I did not think that it would be that easy to take out Gaara of the Sands."  One commented.    
  
"Is he really gone?  He is Gaara of the Desert.  He could have easily made those bones out of sand to trick us.  
  
A third voice spoke up, this one more commanding than the others.  "Silence.  Gaara of the Desert is dead.  If he was still alive this village would still be under the influence of his leadership.  Instead we traded a demon for an outsider in leadership.  The little bastard wasn't supposed to have enough time to set up an alternate leadership.  We'll just have to kill the bitch as well."  The other two agreed and quietly left the house fading into the crowds that were starting to fill the market streets again.  
  
Days passed, and for the ninja that were assigned to the investigation on the deaths of the Leaf and Sand ninja it was like rubbing salt into an open wound.  At the start no one wanted to believe that their leader had been killed in such a manner.  But as the days passed and Hoshiwara's hold on the leadership position solidified, they were forced to concede that perhaps he was gone.  
  
Hoshiwara on the other hand had to deal with a great many things now that leadership was starting to fully settle on her shoulders.  She was not a ninja of any clan, yet she seemed to be doing almost as well as any Kage in the position of leader.  Assignments were given, and completed.  People were taken care of, and least of all discipline and order was maintained in the ranks of both the ninja and the citizenry.  Yet every night she would go back to her home in the company of her guard and once alone cry herself to sleep.  Her tears were always watched however.  She was never as alone as she wanted as she was forever under the watchful eyes of the ninja who were starting to hold a loyalty to the woman that had been set in the leaders position without any kind of training.  
  
It was nearly a week after the explosion that demolished the Suna meeting hall that the first reports started to come in about Suna's strengths, vulnerabilities, and the results of the many tests that were performed on the site of the explosion.  The results of all of the reports said the same thing.  No one knew who did it and whatever happened really hit the strength of Suna hard.  
  
Hoshiwara could not believe it.  The majority of Suna's strength was in three people?  That would change and with that thought she sent a message to the school to tell the instructors that the bar for testing just went up.  In no way would she leave Suna this vulnerable.  The chuunin level and higher ninjas were constantly rotating in and out of the village on assignments.  Those that were watching could not tell what Suna's new strength was with this rotation and it helped to force some of the other clans to back down and leave them alone for a short time.  
  
It wasn't enough for Hoshiwara though.  Nothing would ever be enough anymore.  She lost the people that meant the most to her here and the only way she could stay sane anymore was to bury herself in her work.  The investigation continued and now she had the help of some of Konoha's ninja.  Shikamaru had reported to her that morning a week and a half after the the explosion with a handpicked team of ninja to help guard the tower and assist in the many aspects of the investigation.  
  
Unfortunately even with the extra help, both she and the young Konoha Chuunin were getting frustrated with the lack of progress.  After a week they left, saying that they had to report back to the Hokage and take care of some business back in their home town.  However Shikamaru paused a moment and looked at the woman before giving a small reassuring smile.  "If there is anything I am more sure about.  It is that an explosion can level a city and somehow, someway, Naruto will have survived it.  If he can survive it, then you can about bet that regardless of skill or class, the others will have as well."  
  
A look of surprise graced her face before she replied.  "So you think that those eight are laying low instead of laying dead?"  
  
"It wouldn't surprise me in the least.  Kakashi was Naruto and Sakura's teacher once they reached Genin level.  That is one ninja that has more tricks up his sleeve than most.  Yes, I think that they are in hiding, waiting to see what this person or group's next move is before they move."  A slight nod between the two and they parted ways.  Shikamaru had proven to be extremely intelligent and versatile as she worked with him.  This alone helped her to believe what he said about the dead ninja.  
  
But still there was the mess of who did it.  And for that she knew that she would have to maintain the look and feel that she was mourning the loss of her friends.  But now she had been warned.  Whatever happened was on purpose and it was likely that they weren't done.  
  
Information was easy for her to organize.  Even back on her world she had been able to take in large amounts of information and reference to other bits she had been given and take the correct answer from what she had.  Right now she knew that there were two ninja clans that were the potential threats.  They were able to either use extremely powerful fire techniques or they had access to the materials needed to make compact explosives beyond anything that the explosive tags would be able to produce.  Civilians and ninja alike were not safe from them as they did not care who or what was in the way as long as the mission was completed.  :Who?  Who could it possibly be?: She muttered to herself before turning to walk back to the tower.  
  
She was about halfway back to the tower when she was shoved forward.  Tucking herself into a roll so that she wouldn't break anything in the fall she came back up and looked back at who pushed her.  It was one of the Jounin guardians that she had picked to watch her.  In the ground a little ways from where she had been standing three shuriken were embedded deeply into the ground.  Shoving her focus to her ears she heard the high almost inaudible whistle of more of the deadly blades coming towards her.  Since she wasn't standing she rolled towards the sound guessing correctly that they had been aimed for where she was and avoided them completely.  
  
Looking around again and seeing nothing she could only surmise that her guardian for the day had gone to take care of the problem.  She did not ask him what happened when he appeared before her seemingly out of thin air.  Those questions were best asked back in the tower where there were fewer chances for them to be overheard.  As they moved on, as if what had just happened was nothing more than a training exercise, Hoshiwara did not notice the quick flash of hand signs that her protector made at his side, but someone else did.  
  
Once back in the tower her guard doubled.  "Who in the world would want me dead?  I've been pouring my life into making sure this village survives long enough to even have to worry about choosing a new Kazekage!"  She ranted along that vein for a couple minutes, the jounin in her office allowing her to vent, knowing that she had just had a serious scare and needed to get it out of her system before she could think logically about what just happened.  
  
Taking a deep breath she looked around at those that were in the office and smiled.  "You guys are getting too used to me doing that.  You shouldn't have to, but you have anyway.  Thank you."  
  
One of the more laid back Jounin chuckled softly.  "Better you rant and get it out of your system then sit there and glower like the Kazekage did."  The comparison caused a momentary silence in everyone, but Hoshiwara understood what was being said.  
  
"In any rate.  I've just been attacked.  I want nothing more than to see this village survive and prosper.  I also want to see the end of this investigation.  I can NOT do that however if I'm dead!  What happened?"  Hoshiwara demanded of the jounin in the room.  
  
"Sorry, we tried to track down who it was that attacked you from the shuriken, but whoever threw them were either very skilled at throwing from strange angles or could move exceptionally fast.  Because there was no one at the theoretical points of origin for either throw."  The jounin that had been with her reported having gathered the reports of the others on his way up to the office with her.  
  
Hoshiwara nodded.  She had also read the brief report while she was ranting.  But there was a look on her face now that did not match what she was supposedly feeling.  "So now we need to find the assassins."  
  
Everyone in the room looked surprised at her use of the plural.  "What makes you think that there is more than one?"  
  
The woman looked at them all with her eyes narrowed in speculation.  "Simple.  Whoever wanted the Kazekage dead would probably need more than one person to pull off the explosion in the meeting house.  Top that with the fact that now there is someone after me, trying to kill the new village leader, it indicates that someone wants someone specific in the leader's position.  If they wanted to kill either of us they would need to get close in a way that would not raise alarms with anyone, including the outsider leader."  She started off her voice calm and analytical.  
  
She continued, "From there you need to look at the fact that its been about three weeks since the building was blown up.  Plenty long for most of the village to return to its normal day to day state, even with the loss of its Kage.  However there was one thing that the assassins did not take into account when they planned Gaara's assassination."  Looking around she could see the lack of reaction, passing for what looked to be polite attention in most of the group.  
  
"They forgot that Gaara can not be killed with Shukaku living in him.  The Tanuki of the Winds is an immortal creature with a nasty sense of survival.  The defense of the sands are automatic and would be more than enough to protect him from a relatively slow explosion.  The ninja that were with him are all some of the best of both villages.  I truly believe that they are all alive.  And making a move against me with them in that state would be a bad move on the part of whomever was targeting me."  She could see the smirks of triumph on a couple faces and set herself up to have her back against the wall nearest her.   
  
"This may all be true.  But if they are alive, they wouldn't be here in the tower now would they?  All of the tower guards know each other and the rotation you set up is just far too easy to infiltrate.  Getting in to you and gaining your trust was far too easy.  Gaara was a fool for letting you live and live in our village.  You're no ninja, and you've been freeloading off of us, just like he has for long enough.  It's time for a strong leader.  One that will bring this village and our ninjas back into their prominence."  One of the ninja spoke up, taking the lead role and pulling out several Kunai, pinning her to the wall by her clothing with them.  
  
Running a finger down her cheek he was enjoying the flashes of rage and fear that flickered across her eyes as she glared up at him.  "Get your dirty hands off me before I do something you will sorely regret!"  She hissed at him.  
  
"Now now, tempers are not something a good leader should have.  A good leader should be able to think through any situation and make calm rational decisions based on the information they have."  Another ninja chided her closing in on her much like the first ninja did, leaning in so close to her that their lips were very nearly touching.  
  
"Ninja should also be aware of their environment, know their enemies, and maintain their areas at all times."  A third ninja spoke up, this one looking not at Hoshiwara, but at the other two ninja who were crowding a now infuriated village leader.  
  
"What the hell!"  The first and second ninjas were brought up short as they snapped around to see one of the ninjas step away from the walls.  
  
"Hoshiwara did not give you permission to approach her like that, and I highly doubt she's into multiple sex partners.  Now, if you want to stay alive, you might want to confess and tell me who your associates are.  Otherwise there are alternative consequences that I'm sure you won't like."  The ninja's voice started to clear up and while Hoshiwara watched him carefully, it was her other sense, the spiritual one that told her who this really was.  
  



	6. 6

"Well, well.  It looks like you have a traitor in your ranks.  Or should I say, you have a spy."  Hoshiwara grinned as the poof of smoke and released energies uncovered the Konoha Ninja Kakashi.  A short bark of laughter from the woman had the attention of everyone in the room.  "It's good to know that Shikamaru-kun's faith in you lot isn't misplaced Hatake Kakashi."  
  
The older ninja smirked behind his mask before dodging the attacks that had started.  He didn't even have time to open his Sharingan when the Genjutsu hit.  He knew how to dispel them but for some reason it wasn't working.  "Move as I tell you Kakashi."  He recognized the voice as Hoshiwara's and in the three weeks that he had been working undercover he knew from Gaara that she could see through all but the strongest of Genjutsu.  Trusting her he moved as she told him.  
  
He was surprised, she seemed to know his movements and distances almost as well as he did.  But the only thing he could count on now was that when she told him to strike, he did so decisively, and found that bit by bit the illusion was dispelling.  'A group instigated illusion?' he wondered.  He knew that his Sharingan wouldn't help him at this point in time, but he would not be getting into a fight in Suna again any time soon without it.  "Chest level palm strike at 49 degrees left."  He heard a crack with that strike and felt, as the illusion finally dispelled completely, that he had shattered the bones he had come in contact with.  
  
Looking behind him he saw that he had not moved from his spot in front of her where she had guided him to to protect her.  Around him the rest of the ninja in the room were not on the floor, knocked out or disabled.  Quickly he pulled the kunai that held Hoshiwara to the wall out letting her move freely again.  "Are you all right?"  
  
Hoshiwara nodded, her eyes troubled.  "Are the others really ok?"  
  
"I'll take you to them now."  Standing close to her, much closer than she was comfortable with he flickered through the handsigns that instigated his own transportation jutsu.  The next moment the office doors broke down and the police of the area were treated to a sight of an office that was void of any conscious humans.  
  
As Kakashi and Hoshiwara appeared, Hoshiwara looked around at where they were and could not identify where the group was hiding.  "Where are we?"  She asked the older ninja but her answer came from the now living Kazekage.  
  
"You're in an underground bunker about a mile outside of Suna."  Startled she whipped around and with flashing eyes slapped the man that had startled her before pulling him into a desperate hug.  
  
"Don't you EVER do that to me again!  Promise me!!"  She held on to Gaara like he was a life preserver and it was to the surprise of all the Leaf ninja when he finally brought up his arms and returned the embrace.  
  
Everyone in the room could see that the stress had finally broken the dam that was holding the woman together, and actually seeing her closest friends alive had caused her to overflow with emotion now in the form of tears.  Gaara picked her up carefully and moving over to a vacant chair he ignored the stinging welt that was starting to form on his cheek.  This was the only person Shukaku would not protect him against.  And while she was not as strong as most ninja, her emotions gave her an added strength that made things difficult to predict around her.  
  
"Hoshiwara, we're sorry we couldn't tell you we were alive."  Temari began, hoping to get the woman to listen and maybe even release her little brother a little from the death grip she had him in.  "But when you told Gaara about the building we had to let everyone think that we had died in the blast.  We've known about a splinter faction in the village that still hates him for the demon that is locked within him.  Letting them think they've won was the only way to draw them out enough for them to make a mistake."  
  
"And they made the biggest mistake of all in attacking you."  This came from the Kazekage who was again growling now that the shock had worn off of her greeting and the woman was now starting to calm down in his arms.  
  
"But, couldn't you have found a way to tell me?"  Hoshiwara sniffled, and then looked around at the gathered group, turning several shades of pink in embarrassment for the position she was in.  However as she shifted she felt Gaara subtly tighten his arm about her and accepted that the young leader wasn't about to let her go any time soon.  The back of her mind told her that she didn’t care, as long as he held her like this she could be content.  
  
"No, we couldn't.  Even letting Kakashi out to keep an eye on you was a risk."  Kankurou answered.  
  
Looking up she smiled at the Jounin.  "Thank you for saving me out there.  Both times."  
  
Kakashi nodded before looking at the group that was now completely assembled.  "Our situation has changed.  Thanks to the attack on Hoshiwara in her office by the other jounin that she had picked as her guard, and her subsequent disappearance, it now looks as if she's been kidnapped."  He eyed Gaara carefully.  "Suna will be in an uproar over it and with no leadership this is the perfect time for your so called splinter faction to move in and take control."  
  
"Let them try.  We'll be watching now and when they try to put anyone else in the Kazekage's seat, we'll be waiting."  The younger ninja's eyes narrowed as the dark circles became more pronounced.  It wasn't just Gaara behind that threat now.  
  
After the meeting ended Hoshiwara held several private meetings to help fill in the gaps in information.  But her meeting with Kakashi was the most trying of all.  "Hoshiwara, why didn't you tell Gaara about what happened in your office?"  
  
The look he received was one he didn't get all that often.  One that questioned not only his mental stability, but his intelligence as well.  "I will tell him and the others in my own time Kakashi.  The last thing any of us need is him and Shukaku going into a blood frenzy.  Not yet anyway."  
  
The jounin had to admit that she had a point about the boy Kazekage's temperament.  But it still didn't make him feel any more at ease about hiding that information.  "In anyrate, the only thing that this group doesn't know are your personal thoughts on what happened through the last three weeks."  
  
At this point Hoshiwara's jaw hit the floor.  "Three weeks?  You've been watching me for that long?"  
  
Kakashi shrugged, "How else was I to know how you were doing and how to handle that situation that came up in the office?"  
  
"Fine.  You watched me for three weeks, and you kept me out of danger."  She paused and then smiled, "Thank you.  I more than likely would be dead by now if you hadn't been in the shadows and this village would more than likely be more than half destroyed as a result."  
  
Kakashi was thrown for a loop at that moment as he tried to puzzle out her last comment before he went back and thought over the actions of the Kazekage and his siblings.  So, she had seen the signs from the youngest of the trio.  "You have more people to talk to, but I will speak with my team to ensure that all of the information matches up.  Just remember, that you WILL need to tell Gaara what happened soon."  
  
"I know that Kakashi.  I've been alive nearly as long as you have, I believe that in my many life lessons I did learn something about common sense, tact, and a little wisdom."  Once again she floored the older ninja with the admission that she knew how old he was and that she was nearly as old as he was.  He did however know when he was beaten and made a tactical retreat before he stepped wrong again and ignited her temper.  
  
Looking around the room that had been reserved for her in case she did need to vanish from the village she found that as she mentally compared it to the other rooms in the small bunker, she had gotten the best.  Not only was the room slightly bigger than the others, she was also not sharing it with anyone else.  A vague smile of amusement spread across her face as she wondered just how much of that was due to the fact that she was the only non-ninja female of their group and how much of it was Gaara's protective nature coming through again.  
Heading out to the main room she found Gaara and motioned him over to her.  As he stood she took a moment to watch him carefully.  The hints that everyone else had dropped about him and from her own observation told her that he liked her.  But as she was on the inside looking out, she could not be sure of how much of it was friendship and how much of it was that he just might be interested in her as something more than a friend.  She put all of that to the back of her head as he finished approaching her.  She smiled slightly and noted that he relaxed a little.  "I need to talk to you alone.  About what happened just before Kakashi brought me here."  
  
He could see it in her stance.  This was not going to be pleasant for one or both of them.  She was nervous about something and he could very easily guess that her nerves were caused by the unknown factor of how he would react, or how Shukaku would react to whatever it was she had to tell him.  Making it a little easier on her he nodded quietly before gesturing that she should lead the way to wherever it was that they would be talking.  As they entered her room he noted that at least two of the Konoha ninja were watching before the door closed.  
  
Hoshiwara gestured for him to have a seat and as he sat down she promptly took a seat across from him looking at him in a way that left him vaguely disquieted, but not enough to say anything.  He wasn't able to understand yet why he was so loath to hurt the woman, but he could tell that the demon within him knew the answer, but wasn't talking.  
  
"I need your word that after I tell you what happened this afternoon in the office, you will not blow up and you will not go into blood frenzy."  Her words stopped his thoughts dead in their tracks.  Whatever she had to say to him was worse than he had originally thought.  Especially if she was calling for him to bind both his and Shukaku's tempers with a promise like this.  
  
"I promise.  Now what happened that you think I will berserk when you tell me?"  His voice was still hard, but there was an undertone that expressed concern.  
  
Closing her eyes and sighing she opened them again and looking at the man across from her she spoke quietly.  "They know that you are all alive.  But before they found that out, two of them had me pinned to the wall and were very close to forcing themselves on me before Kakashi could intervene."  
  
Gaara sucked in a sharp breath as he remembered his promise and had to close his eyes to keep Shukaku under control.  He was irritated that they had been found out.  But absolutely enraged that the ninja that were working against them would stoop so low as to rape someone to get their point across.  His voice was tight as he spoke up.  "I see why you made me promise to hold my temper down."  
  
She was probably one of the few people on this world that could talk to him bluntly about his temper or Shukaku for that matter.  It was because she respected the two of them as individuals and as a single entity.  She did not look up to them in fear nor did she look down on them in disgust or contempt.  This was something that had caught Shukaku off guard before and the trust that it had fostered between the three of them allowed for him to leave Gaara alone most of the time, knowing that he no longer needed to protect him so closely.  Shukaku saw a potential mate in the woman.  But knowing how his host thought, he knew that he could not force this issue.  The young man had to see her for her own virtues or his pressings would only cause the Kage to push her away.  
  
Looking up after getting himself under control he saw a sight that shocked him.  Hoshiwara was sitting in front of him looking uncertain, and for the first time since they had met, scared.  "Hoshiwara, what is the matter?  Is there something else?"  The first question was quietly spoken, the second was spoken more forcefully as the possibilities of what could have happened in the tower sprang to mind.  
  
"N-no.  You probably see me as a burden now though.  I have no use to this mission now that my part has played out.  I can't fight, can't use my own abilities in any sort of time to help you or the others.  It's time to set me aside and find a new tool, ne?"  She bit her lip slightly as she looked up at the taller young man, uncertainty warring with a darker, more dangerous emotion in her eyes.  
  
Never had anyone caught him flat footed so many times in such a short period of time.  "A burden?  Useless?  A tool?"  Gaara seemed to be asking himself these questions when it slammed home that this woman knew exactly how he felt and her simple empathy wasn't the reason.  She spoke as if this had happened to her before.  
  
His hands shot out and pulled her close to him.  "Never ever tell me that you are a burden or useless.  You may not be a ninja, but you have other abilities and skills that put your worth, as a person, and a fighter far above most of the other ninjas I've killed."  He was speaking calmly, and quietly, and because of this his voice rumbled in his chest.  It was a comforting feeling for Hoshiwara to be held like this.  
  
Gone was the irritation and boundaries that seemed to stay stacked up between the two.  Hoshiwara started to relax against Gaara's chest as he sat back down positioning her in his lap so that she'd be comfortable.  The rumble in his chest started quietly but swelled slightly so that she could not only feel it, but could hear it.  It wasn't a purr by any stretch of the imagination, but it wasn't a growl either.  Even as Gaara started to relax as well, the rumble seemed to be a cross of the two events and it certainly seemed to be helping the woman in his arms relax.  
  
"I have seen people like you, I have been you in several occasions.  I know how you feel and know this."  He paused a moment, causing Hoshiwara to look up at him with dark blue eyes.  "I am not letting you go.  You wanted me to promise that I wouldn't scare you like I did before, and I will.  But only if you promise to stay with me."  
  



	7. 7

His words startled her and Shukaku.  Gaara could feel the demon stirring and sent him a mental command to stay silent.  This he had been working out on his own for some time now and this moment was far too important for the demon to screw up.  
  
"There are hundreds of ninja that would be glad to stay at your side.  Why are you making me promise this?"  Her voice was soft, confused.  The woman knew how she felt about the young Kazekage but she had to hear his reasons first.  
  
"None of them would be able to see me the way you do.  You don't look up to me in fear of who I am, and you don't look down on me in scorn for what I was.  You have treated me like an equal since we first met.  Even after you learned of my past you did not sneer at me or treat me any different than before.  It gave me a sense of hope, that maybe there were others like you out in the world, and that maybe Uzumaki was right."  The slight shrug told her that he'd deny it if Naruto was ever right about anything, but the admission was enough for her.  
  
"And what about Shukaku?  What does he think about you picking me as your partner?"  She didn't say anything more as he got the semi glazed look in his eyes whenever he was in communication with the demon on a silent level.  
  
When he came back to the here and now she could see that it wasn't really Gaara that was talking.  "You don't look down on, or fear demon-kind.  Heck, even the Kyuubi is impressed with that.  You'll get one promise out of me if you decide to stay.  But you have to make your choice before I tell you what it is."  
  
Hoshiwara blinked in disbelief at the outrageous fortune that had just landed in her hands.  But smiling she leaned against the Kazekage and kissed him softly.  She didn't have the words in his language for what she wanted to say so she went back to hers hoping that they'd understand.  :My heart has been yours for the asking ever since we met.  But be gentle, the moment it is broken is the moment I will die.:  
  
It took both demon and host a moment to translate what she had said, she was using parts of her language that indicated great emotion, and she did not use them often.  Once the meaning got across to them Gaara looked down at her in wonder.  "You have known for that long how you felt?"  
  
Hoshiwara nodded.  "I am not a master of the fighting arts.  But I'd like to think that I have mastery of another art.  One that is mine to claim."  Gaara nodded knowing what she was talking about now.  
  
"Then you have my word as Gaara and as Kazekage that I will never leave you like I did."  He paused and continued as his voice softened, the rough edge wearing off as he spoke.  "There will come times when I will need to leave you alone, but I will not leave you as I did these last few weeks."  
  
To Hoshiwara's greater surprise he leaned down slightly to kiss her.  It was a promise, sealed with a kiss so to speak.  As they separated, Gaara observed her as she opened her eyes and he found that their color had returned to their normal blue gray color, glazed slightly with pleasure as she looked up at him with a small smile tugging the corners of her lips up.  
  
He felt a surge of pride, and something else.  It wasn't just from him, but from Shukaku as well.  He had made her look at him like that, that breath taking look was for him alone and no one else.  All it took was a simple kiss.  
  
They were startled apart when a sharp rapping echoed in the room.  "Hey Gaara, you coming outta there any time soon?  You're meeting with Hoshiwara has taken at least twice as long as the rest of ours!"  Naruto's annoyed voice came through the door.  
  
Hoshiwara's eyes narrowed as she growled softly to herself.  "I'm gonna kill him, and I don't give a damn if Kyuubi is a part of him."  
  
Gaara looked at her in surprise before shaking his head with a smile.  Naruto really could get under your skin, but he was a good person to have on your side.  Though he could understand Hoshiwara's frustration at that timing.  They were comfortable in that moment and both knew that the other wasn't ready yet to go public with their new found relationship.  
  
Standing Gaara answered, the irritation at the interruption coloring his voice back to something resembling normalcy for him.  "The meeting is concluding, tell the others to gather in the main room, there is something we need to tell them."  
  
If Naruto was surprised, he didn't say anything as he moved at speed to gather the others.  As they heard the loud ninja move away from the door Gaara held on to Hoshiwara for a moment, getting her attention.  "I promised that Shukaku and I would not go berserk when you told me what happened.  But I will not let this pass unpunished."  He saw the look of understanding in her eyes as he squeezed her hand before letting her go to lead the way back out to the main room.  
  
As soon as the two entered the room everyone could tell that something major had happened and that it would affect the outcome of the mission.  Hoshiwara was looking more skittish than she had when she first rejoined them thanks to Kakashi's aid and Gaara looked more like his demon counterpart than ever as he nearly hovered behind her shoulder.  No one said a word though as Gaara pinned them all with a glare before starting.  "Kakashi, I need to know exactly who was in that office when you helped Hoshiwara get out of there."  
  
"Oh?  Why is this information so important now?"  He asked his voice carrying across to everyone in a lazy drawl.  One would have thought he was looking to keep from exerting himself, until you looked closely at his one visible eye.  It was watching the reactions of the room, and especially the two that had just got done talking very carefully.  
  
"I will let Hoshiwara brief the rest of you on what she just told me."  Taking a metaphysical back seat to the woman he was now bent on protecting he looked to her and nodded.  
  
Hoshiwara wasn't comfortable with telling everyone here this, but she knew that it was an important part of the briefing.  One that would decide the outcome of several jounin trials.  "As Kakashi was in the process of his double rescue, the first being the shuriken attack and the second being an attack in my office, there was a third situation that happened, just before he was able to get to me in the office."  Her voice was quiet, and did not shake, but she had to pause once in while to hunt down the words she was looking for to stay in their language.  
  
"What happened Hoshiwara?"  Both Neiji and Hinata could see that she was scared of something, and on edge from what happened.  Hinata had a good idea of what she was looking at as she was training to be a medic-nin.  Neiji was still putting the pieces together of what would cause this woman to fall apart like this when he heard it right from her own mouth.  
  
"Two of the ninja in the office attacked me.  Pinning me by my clothing to the wall they were about to force themselves on me when Kakashi intervened.  He was then trapped in a multi-user Genjutsu.  I helped him out of that, but there is no doubt in my mind.  If Kakashi had not been there, I would have been raped several times and possibly even killed for my resistance."  Hoshiwara was blushing bright red now, and looked as if she wanted the floor to swallow her up and end her misery.  
  
No one moved from their spots as they heard this, the fact that Gaara was nearly incandescent with suppressed rage being a very good reason for all of them to stay put.  However he reigned in his anger far enough that he wouldn't startle Hoshiwara and put a hand on her shoulder giving her a subtle squeeze in reassurance.  "Now.  The information if you please?"  The request was a demand, but his family thought nothing of it knowing that he wanted to protect the woman that had been dropped into their lives less than a year ago.  The others looked at him oddly but were interrupted when Kakashi pulled a report scroll out of his jacket and handed it over to the Kazekage.  
  
Opening the scroll his eyes narrowed at the list of names of people involved in the coup.  This was not going to be easy to recover from.  Suna had extremely strict laws in dealing with traitors and this would cut their numbers considerably.  A hand on his wrist pulled his attention from the scroll and as he looked over at the owner of the hand he noted that Hoshiwara looked like she had other things to add to the briefing.  Nodding to her silently, yet still glowering at the information he was curious as to how they would be able to handle everyone in this splinter cell until the woman started speaking.  
  
"Considering Kakashi has been watching me for the last three weeks, he and you all should know that both the Hokage and representatives of Konoha have been here to help with the investigation.  I made a promise to the Hokage that once I knew who was behind the attack, I would inform her so that she would be able to assist in the capture and trial of this faction."  Everyone looked at her as if she had lost her mind until she continued.  
  
"It was the only thing I could do to diffuse the situation.  Hokage Tsunade is a force to be reckoned with, and with the help of the ninja team that was here to help me with the investigation, I feel that this will be an easier event to plan than we are all thinking at this moment."  Looking around, she could see that the Konoha natives were more for the idea considering they haven't seen their friends and comrades in almost a month.  
  
While the Suna natives wanted to keep the problem within their own territory, they knew that this attack had affected the Leaf ninja clans deeply and could see why Hoshiwara had made such a promise.  Looking at each other they came to a general consensus and nodded.  "Kakashi, you have a better knowledge of Konoha Village than I do."  Gaara started out getting the older ninja's attention.  "Do you have the Chakra reserves to make that kind of trip using your transport jutsu?"  
  
The gray haired jounin did a fast mental calculation of the distance and nodded.  He could see where this was going, no one must know that the "dead" ninja's were still alive and with Hoshiwara on the missing and hunted list of this rogue group they would all rest easier knowing that she was safe with one of them.  
  
Since Hoshiwara could not write very legibly in their language yet, it was decided that Temari would write the message for her while she dictated it.  The only thing that would ensure that the scroll was legit was her own signature.  By now news of her kidnapping would have reached Konoha due to the "alliance" treaty that was in place.  However it was agreed that if anyone was to deliver the scroll it would be her.  Kakashi would stay out of sight and out of sensing range of the village.  The only change they made to Hoshiwara's normal attire was the addition of the Kazekage's head and face shields.  The identification that would be needed for her to get into Konoha uncontested.  
  
Once the letter explaining the need for aid was written and she had gathered her spare cloak, she stood next to Kakashi looking at Gaara with determination in her eyes.  She was going to get her own revenge on the creeps.  She hated feeling scared, it always lead to anger or rage for her.  A moment later, Kakashi was gone and with him the woman that had been holding things down in their absence.  
  
Once the two were gone, the other seven exploded into action.  Gathering their equipment and replenishing whatever supplies they needed they prepared to leave the bunker to investigate the city.  They needed to know just who was who and how they were looking at these latest developments.  
  
In Konoha, Hoshiwara's arrival at the gates caused an uproar.  The gate guards not believing that she was the Kazekage held her for questioning much to her annoyance.  Kakashi was still watching over her and could only chuckle to himself as he watched the guards try their third Genjutsu on her only to find that she had seen through it again.  
  
"Who are you really.  We know that the Kazekage Gaara is dead, and that his replacement is kidnapped."  Izumo started out.  
  
:For gods' sake let me go you simple minded buffoons!:  She finally screamed out in her native language.  This got their attention and she glared at them.  Kakashi was having trouble maintaining his composure as the small Kazekage went to work on cowing the two Chuunin.  "First, I am the Kazekage that replaced Gaara.  How do I know this?  My name is Hoshiwara, I am not originally of Suna.  Second I promised the Godaime Hokage that I would tell her when I knew of who killed Kakashi, Naruto, Sakura, Neiji and Hinata!"  Catching her breath her eyes flashed dangerously as the two seemed to not care about what she was saying.  
  
Gathering herself together she took a deep weighted breath and pushing her vocal range to soprano, she let the higher musical notes carry her call to the Godaime across the distance.  As she let the note die out she noted that the two that were holding her captive were now in shock at her ability.  Kakashi nearly fell off his perch as he realized that there was no chakra or any special powers backing that call.  All it was was pure natural ability backed by years of practice in music.  
  
It was fortunate for him that he did not fall off his perch because a moment later Tsunade appeared before the three in the gate hut.  "What is going on here?!"  She demanded.  The call had been heard all over the village and as shocking as that was, it was even more surprising that she could pinpoint where it had come from.  
  
"Godaime, we have someone here who claims to be the Kazekage, but is unable to produce any identification to prove herself."  Kotetsu reported quickly.  
  
"Untie me and I'll show you just who you're dealing with you pea-brained air headed twits!"  Tsunade about lost her composure as she listened to the Kazekage insult two of her best chuunin.  However it wasn't anger that threatened to break loose.  It was laughter, there was no mistaking that voice.  Granted, the last time she heard it she was listening to it at a softer level, but the accent and way of stringing words together were unmistakable.  
  
"Untie her.  The last thing I need is a war with our allies over having been excessively rude to the Kazekage."  The light smirk went into a full blown grin as the ropes were loosened.  The first action of the shorter woman was to stand up and dust herself off.  Then as she saw the two chuunin relax she struck.  An open palm to each of their faces and a knee to their groins.  
  
"Next time, don't screw around with interrogation.  If someone says they are someone important, go get someone in the village who can give you a positive identification!"  She scolded them before washing her hands of the mess and turning to the Hokage.  
  
"Godaime Tsunade, its good to see you again."  She bowed slightly before smiling.  
  
Tsunade stared for a moment at the complete 180 degree change in demeanor before laughing.  "Oh, you have no idea how much I needed that.  I assume you're here to update me on that mess that erupted in Suna?"  
  
Hoshiwara nodded.  "Can we head to your office?  This is not something I'd want the general public to know."  She got the affirmative before following the blond leader back to the tower that was the center of Konoha village.  
  
As they entered the tower, the look of death from both Kage's was enough to prevent questions from being asked.  Both women knew that people would want to know why the Suna Kage was there, but until they had all the information between the two of them, she wasn't about to let any information leak out.  Upon entering the office Hoshiwara was mildly impressed with the sheer number of books that the woman kept around her.  
  
Looking around she waited till the room had emptied of people looking for the reason why that piercing note had floated over the village.  "Tsunade, its good to see you again.  Before we start I would like for you to read this, then ask any questions you may have."  Reaching into her cloak she pulled the message scroll out of the pocket she had sewn in and handed it over to the older woman.  
  
As Tsunade read the scroll she could feel her jaw starting to go slack at all of the information she was taking in.  "You weren't kidding about not wanting this out in public.  Is there anything else you want me to know about?"  Her words suggested it was a request, her tone however was much like Gaara's in its demand for information.  
  
"I believe that there is someone here who can answer your questions for information about what is going on in Suna better than I can Godaime."  The only hint of the younger woman's smile behind the cloth that hid most of her face was the crinkling of the skin near her eyes.  
  
Tsunade blinked.  "You mean to tell me that you weren't alone out at the hut?"  
  
Hoshiwara shot her a 'no duh' look before nodding.  "I'd be a complete idiot to travel alone after what the traitors in Suna tried before."  Looking around carefully she spoke in a lower tone that still carried to the windows.  "You can come in now.  It's time we let at least one person in Konoha know that you're still about."  
  
Kakashi swung in through the window, having heard the entire conversation outside as he had followed the two back to the Hokage's office.  "Good to see you again Godaime."  Was all he said with an irritating smile on his face that caused the blond woman before him to gain a nervous tick in her left cheek.  
  
"Hatake Kakashi, What in the name of the sacred flames are you doing here!"  Kakashi waved a finger in her direction chiding her.  
  
"You know as well as I do that if someone is going to try and kill me, I'm going to want to know who it is.  In this case, the best way to get that information was to "die"."  Pausing a moment he teased her with the withheld information about the other four in his delegation to Suna before a sharp elbow in his side reminded him that right now wasn't the time to be playing with the Hokage.  "The others are alive and well I am pleased to say.  Between their training and Gaara's quick thinking everyone made it out of there alive."  
  



	8. 8

"Ok, so everyone is still alive, and now we know who we are after. So now we need to plan an offensive that will catch everyone involved and keep the Kazekage here safe." Tsunade summed up the next couple steps noting as she did that the younger woman looked uneasy with being called the Kazekage. She chalked it up to lack of time in the position, but didn't discount that there would be other factors playing into that reaction.

"That is about the size of it. If you can gather the teams that came to Suna to help with the investigation, they will be invaluable to whatever is being planned. This isn't going to be pretty regardless of how we do this. And some of the ninja that are going to be captured will not be getting a trial." Hoshiwara hissed out that last bit, Tsunade couldn't understand what would have happened to make her react like that, but thought it better not to ask considering just her thinking about it was causing a angry corona of flame to start to form about her.

Kakashi had seen this reaction from her once before and decided to let her be since she wasn't attacking anyone and seemed to be in better control than the last time she had done this. "Hoshiwara, we'd better get back to Suna. The others will be waiting for the report, The Hokage can follow with the teams."

"Are you sure you're recovered enough to make another transport this soon?" Hoshiwara snapped out of her anger as she remembered what Kakashi looked like after that long distance transport. It had taken most of his Chakra to maintain the technique over the distance for the two of them.

"I will be fine, this won't be the first time I've made two long distance transports back to back." He reassured her, not liking the appraising look she gave him.

"Sit down. You're chakra hasn't caught up with you, no matter how you try to say otherwise." She grabbed him by the shoulder and with a swift pull she yanked him off balance and into a seated position on the floor. Kakashi regretted not having his Sharingan exposed for what happened next. Holding her hands into an unknown seal he watched as he could feel and see her chakra levels rise to unheard of levels outside of a Bijuu carrier. If that didn't shock him, he all but fainted when he felt the energy that was flowing off her like a flame start to leak into him, carefully replenishing his drained reserves. He was about to tell her that he was fine when he felt the energy seepage taper off and stop completely.

As he stood he watched her carefully, knowing that the Godaime was staring at them in shock. If he was completely honest with himself he would have said that he was just as shocked as the Godaime at this demonstration of her unspoken abilities. It was no wonder that Gaara trusted her to be able to handle the things she did. Her eyes opened and while she sagged a little as she released the technique, her eyes showed that she was not nearly as fatigued as something like that should have made her.

"Lets go Kakashi. I'm not going to explain that little trick now or ever. I just want to go back and get some sleep." Right now he was under her instruction and had to follow even though she was not his superior, he knew that if she did not return soon, there would be hell to pay, and most likely in the form of Gaara going ballistic over her time away from their combined watch.

Getting leave from Tsunade he stepped a little closer to the younger Kage and flashed through the seals to transport them back to the bunker outside of Suna.

As they returned both Sakura and Neiji noted that something was off with the Jounin. It wasn't until a long discussion later that they realized that the Jounin and left and returned in the same day with a passenger using a Chakra munching transport technique. Kakashi should have been collapsed on the floor from doing that. Instead he merely stayed put for a few moments to let his system recharge a little bit and then walked off to find Kankurou.

Hoshiwara nodded in greeting to the people she saw, but was heading in a beeline for Gaara's room. Rapping on the door she heard the frustrated sigh before the command to enter. The look of irritation was quickly replaced by one of surprise when he saw that it wasn't any of the others at the door. "You're back so soon? I wasn't expecting you or Kakashi to return till tomorrow."

Hoshiwara smiled as he stood up and pulled her into the room, pointedly shutting the door behind her before pulling her into a demanding kiss. When he finally released her he still had to keep one arm about her as she proved to be a bit unstable on her feet after his welcome. :I might just leave more often if you welcome me back like that!: she muttered playfully knowing that she'd be heard.

"How did the meeting with the Hokage go?" As they sat down he kept one arm about her. His thoughts on the other hand had taken a different bend. A note of pleasure had shot through him as he felt her surrender to that kiss. Her threat also left him feeling confused, but after a fast conference with Shukaku, he knew it to be a good confused and that she was warming up to the promise he had made earlier.

The feeling that shot through her as she realized that he was taking his promise to her seriously was that of pleased acceptance. "The meeting went well enough. Though Kakashi about got an earful from Tsunade about vanishing like he did and not telling her while he was 'dead'."

This caused the sand ninja to snort in amusement as he pictured the tall jounin getting yelled at by the medical ninja. "I take it then that they will be arriving in the next few days?"

Hoshiwara nodded before leaning against Gaara, causing him to look at her in surprise. As he watched though, all he saw was this woman that he had come to care for relax against him with a content sigh. He also saw that her eyes were starting to slip close and when they did and her breathing steadied into a sleeping pattern he laid her back in his bed and covering her up to prevent chill, left leaving only the desk lamp on.

Going out to the main room he looked at his sister and let her know that their friend was in his room sleeping. Whatever happened during the meeting she didn't feel the need to elaborate on, but it had worn her out for the short term. Finding the Jounin was the next thing on his agenda. If there had been a fight then the ninja would be the best person to ask for the details on.

As he looked through the bunker he soon found the elder ninja talking with Sakura, Naruto, Neiji and Hinata about what was coming up. Catching the eye of the Jounin was easy and passing along the message that he was wanted for a meeting equally easy. Kakashi excused himself from the group and asked them to discuss amongst themselves what the best spread of talents would be for this mission.

"What is it that you want to talk about?" Kakashi asked as soon as they were out of earshot of the remainder of the group.

"Something happened that was out of the ordinary today. Whatever it was it caused Hoshiwara to fall asleep while she was talking with me about the meeting with the Hokage. What happened Kakashi?"

As the jounin paused to gather his thoughts on what happened in the office that allowed him to come back with her today he could see that it was making for an impatient Kazekage. "I'm not sure how to best describe this. Somehow Hoshiwara knew that I did not have the Chakra reserves to make the return trip back. With very little effort on her part she yanked me down so that she could stand over me and putting her hands together in one of her strange seals she summoned more chakra than I see most of the Bijuu Carriers summon for a fight. In doing so she did something else, I don't know what and the excess chakra that was bleeding off her immediately started to fill my depleted reserves. I didn't have to say a word and somehow she knew when my reserves were at an acceptable level and she let the flow of energies fall off almost naturally. She stumbled as she cut off the flow of chakra, but from what both the Godaime and I could see, she didn't take any damage at all doing what she did. We returned to the bunker shortly after that."

Hearing the description of what happened Gaara nodded. "I see. Did she explain what she did?"

Kakashi shook his head in negative. "No, in fact she flat out told us that she would not explain what she did, now or ever."

That was all the younger ninja needed to know to seal his suspicions on what she did. "You are not to tell this to anyone else. But what she did was something only she is able to do. Something like a bloodline limit to this world. Though she has assured me in the past that she is not alone in this ability back on her world. She did try to teach what she knew, but how she sees Chakra and explains it is very different from how we see and handle it. It didn't translate well enough to teach, and even though I know the how, and a little of the theory behind her abilities. I still can't do what she does when it comes to manipulating Chakra."

Kakashi's eyebrow rose at hearing this, but it did explain a lot for why the woman was the only one he had seen who could do what she had done just a few hours prior. He had seen Ninja who could absorb chakra by touch. He didn't see where this woman would have to touch anyone with the way her chakra flared out when she summoned it into the visible spectrum. But it sounded like she didn't absorb chakra from people, instead she was something along the lines of a healer only healing the chakra levels like one transfused blood.

Shaking his head he exited that line of thought. There would be time enough to ask her to possibly work with him to see if it was truly a bloodline limit later on. Right now they had to prepare the bunker for two more teams, the Godaime and collect all the information they needed to plan this retake of Suna properly. From what he had understood, Gaara had made extremely efficient use of each person's talents. Including Naruto's ability to literally be everywhere at once with his Shadow clone and transformation techniques. This, combined with two practiced Byakugen users and Sakura held in reserve in case someone was spotted, they had combed the city and collected a staggering amount of information. The meeting tonight would be extremely enlightening.

In the meantime Gaara had slipped away from the now introspective older ninja and made his way back to his room. The last thing he needed was her waking up in there wondering how she got there. "That is, if she is confused when she gets up." He muttered to himself before slipping silently into the room.

Turning to look at Hoshiwara he smiled slightly. She understood him, maybe not completely but, she seemed to have an easier time finding the emotions in him that were so often hidden than anyone else that he had grown up with. She was still asleep, curled up on her left side and facing the wall he could see that her breathing had stretched even farther than it had before. The fact that she hadn't awakened when he came in was a good indicator of just how much she put into refilling Kakashi's reserves.

Sitting on the bed the slight movement of the mattress caused the woman to wake up and with a sleepy look that pushed her looks from beautiful to 'cute' she muttered softly. :I missed Kakashi's general briefing didn't I?:

He waited for her to finish stretching, firmly holding back his suddenly surging desire to touch her. She may have been wearing her robes but that did nothing to hide her figure when she stretched out on her side like a cat. As she sat up, looking more pulled together mentally, he started. "You only missed the general briefing. However there will be another briefing that will have everyone in the main room in a couple of hours. This will be the strategy meeting."

Hoshiwara nodded, her eyelids drooping a little again before she scooted over to Gaara and leaned against his back with her arms around his waist. She was glad that he thought to take the gourd off because this was actually very comfortable and it allowed her to feel the strong muscles in his back shifting and counterbalancing to account for the new weight it was supporting. :Mmmm warm.: Was all she said as she nuzzled him between his shoulder blades.

Both Gaara and Shukaku were caught off guard by this display of affection but when they heard the lightly slurred sleepy tones that indicated that she was quite relaxed, both relaxed as well allowing for Gaara to enjoy the sensations as his sand armor quietly pulled away to the gourd at the door. Reaching behind him he pulled the woman around pleased that she had not frozen in surprise and once he had settled himself against the wall behind the bed he settled her into his lap and they both sat there till it was time for the meeting just relaxing.

Hours later into the full darkness of the night when the strategy meeting finally came to a close, Gaara and Hoshiwara were still talking about what had been planned out in the meeting. Nothing was locked down in cement yet, but many plans hinging on the unique abilities of the ninja that they planned for were made and readied. Other contingency plans were made and it was hoped that they would not have to come into use, as they were not as certain to work. Kakashi was the one that suggested they all sleep for the night however, considering he and Hoshiwara were the ones that had traveled and used their abilities extensively that day, it was agreed on.

It was a few days later when the two teams from Konoha and their Godaime arrived at the coordinates of the bunker. Kakashi appeared before them and taking them two at a time leaving the Godaime for last he used the transport Jutsu to get them all into the hidden caverns. Once everyone was assembled no time was wasted. The plans were laid out and with input from the new members of the group, hammered out and set.

While it took time to set up for the plan of attack. It was simple enough. Sneak into Suna just before false dawn and use the light of false dawn to track down and round up those that were known to be members of the splinter faction. As they were taken, they'd be stashed in the bunker with Kakashi and Hoshiwara standing guard. The prisoners would be severely questioned and not released. The answers to the questions would lead them eventually to the leaders of the faction.

Over the course of several days with these false dawn collections the bunker was quite packed with people. But the result was the same. They had finally gotten the name of the leader of the faction. Those that were in the bunker knew that the leader of the faction and the two that had almost forced themselves on Hoshiwara would not get a trial. They would only answer a few questions and then they would face the death penalty. Depending on their position in the faction they too knew they would possibly face that penalty. Gaara did not suffer betrayal lightly and it was becoming clear that Hoshiwara did not either.

The sweep of the city was thorough and exacting. If a husband was a member, but the wife had nothing to do with the faction then the wife knew nothing of where her husband disappeared to. Same with brothers, sisters, cousins and friends all over the city. The only time these innocents would know of what was to happen was when the trial was to commence or when the sentence was to be carried out.


	9. 9

The people of Suna did not have to wait long to find out what happened to the missing nin.  As the trials happened only the people related to those taken were allowed to know about it and attend.  It was there that they were all told what happened, and why.  Why their loved ones were being held and being tried.  Most were happy to see that the Kazekage and his siblings were alive.  More however were pleased to see that the strange woman that had become a part of them was still alive and well.  
  
Most understood the laws of Suna in regards to traitorous acts against the Kazekage or against the ninja nation of the Wind.  Both had happened when these people not only plotted to kill the Kazekage, but also put a puppet Kage in his place.  The minor players in the scheme were sentenced to life in the Suna Holding Facility deep in the desert.    
  
The major players, the four greatest threats to Suna's continued movement towards prosperity and the happiness of its people were all sentenced to death as their trials ended.  Only three did not get the privilege of a trial.     
  
The leader of the splinter faction, now known as the Cutting Winds and the two that had come closest to violating Hoshiwara during her time as de facto leader of the Wind clans.  Those three were immediately executed.  The leader of the Cutting Winds was executed by the Hokage, much to her satisfaction.  
  
The other two, those that had a more personal bearing to the Kazekage and to Hoshiwara were executed by the two simultaneously.  Gaara used his Desert Funeral technique while those that were in attendance to witness the execution were treated to the sight of what happens when every last bit of living energy is sucked out of a human being.  The result was bloody, painful and deadly to the executed, while it was merely painful in the extreme for the executioner.  
  
When she came into consciousness again a day later she was immediately asked why she chose such a technique.  Looking around at her friends, and then to the man she had come to love she gave them a sad smile.  "Life, all life is important.  Those that do not treasure it do not deserve to keep the use of their life energies.  So I put that energy to use in other ways.  The reason I passed out was because he had such deep reserves of energy.  I can only hold so much before I feel the effects of the foreign energy, so I did the next best thing.  I shunted it out and into the grounds.  It's painful to hold so much energy, not nearly as painful to merely be a conduit.  I was both yesterday and I had to in order to complete the reversal of life."  
  
Gaara, Temari and Kankurou had a good idea as to what she was talking about as all three of them had been taught in her own way what chakra was and how she manipulated it.  The others could only marvel at her seemingly deep understanding of the nature of life.    
  
The trials had been harsh on everyone as the last week had kept them all in the bunker until the final day when the announcement was made that they were all still alive and well.  The imprisonment went without fanfare, many wives siblings and children saddened at the losses to their families or to the nin of the country in general.  The Executions went with equal fanfare.  The bodies burned and the ashes returned to their families.  
  
Late in the night Gaara was wakened from a rare instance of sleep by the feeling of being watched.  It wasn't an ominous feeling, and he was certain that the Ichibi would have taken care of the intruder had it been a threat.  The person merely sat by his bed, watching him carefully, making no other sound than that of a hand moving occasionally to smooth out the fabric of the blanket that covered their knees.  "Who is there, and how did you get in here."  His voice was unnaturally harsh, from speaking in as low a tone as he could to keep from alerting his siblings.  
  
The figure stood and all he could see of them was that they were wearing a hooded cloak and walking towards the shaded window.  Still not putting the pieces together in his poor sleep crazed mind he waited for the figure to finish their action before determining a threat value.  
  
The shade was drawn to the side and he could see that the hand that had moved the shade was feminine, Ichibi was still asleep within him, and was of no help in identifying the figure and he had reached the limit of his patience.  
  
Summoning his sands he restrained her and then turning her to face him pulled the hood of her cloak back to reveal her face.  He nearly dropped her in his surprise.  The face that had been hid from him in the shadows was none other than Hoshiwara, smiling serenely and not fighting her capture in the least.  "I did not mean to disturb your sleep Gaara."  Her own voice was rich and mellow in her own effort to keep her voice down.  
  
"You."  The word might have implied an insult, had the woman not seen the slight smirk the man wore in the moonlight.  "Come here."  
  
The sands forced her to comply, not that she was in the least unwilling.  As she was brought over to the now exceedingly awake Kazekage she could see that he was clearly not angry with her, but instead had that studious look on his face that he had every time she managed to do something that had gone beyond his estimations of her.  She cancelled that look quickly by leaning forward slightly and lightly kissing him on the nose.  
  
Studious look gone in an instant he now looked at her with a look that was far more dangerous.  It was a look she had seen only once before, the day she had come back from Konoha with Kakashi.  One she secretly loved to see on him as it brought all of his features into stern alignment and changed him from good looking to "dangerously good looking".  However all of her thoughts were brought to a screeching halt as his lips came in contact with hers, causing both the sand to leave her and her heart to slam dance in her chest.  She had completely melted into him by the time he was done.  As he tucked her into the bed next to him she had not even begun to recover from the war her body had just gone through.  She barely registered the words he spoke next as she felt him slide into bed next to her, pulling her close to him and letting her use him for a pillow, but when she did, she knew that she had found her home, her family, and her one to love.  "I love you."  
  



End file.
